The Save A Youth (S.A.Y.) Vocational Program is serving Wilson County youth ages 15-17 who are court-involved or who have been released from one of the state's Youth Development Centers (YDC) and have been identified as at-risk of gang involvement, associated with gang members, or are involved in a gang. Referrals are made by the Juvenile Court Counselor. A formal intake process is in place that involves the program coordinator, the juvenile and the parent.

The program operates at the St. John CDC, Inc. located at 119 E. Pender Street in Wilson, NC. Sessions are held for the students on Saturdays from 8:30am-3:00pm for 48 weeks. The students receive vocational training in computer building and repair and bricklaying (20 weeks in each session). The vocational skills programs are taught by experienced contractors that are currently working in these vocational fields. The program includes four community service projects and two field trips related to the vocational fields being studied (8 weeks).

Program Objectives Include:

Increased accountability for the youth

Improvement in pro-social behavior

Improvement in communication and compliance to parent rules

Improvement in pro-social skills and school behavior

Improvement in classroom attendance and academic functioning

Community and parental support are strong elements of the Vocationl Program. Community volunteers serve as speakers and assistants throughout the year. The parents are very involved in the process from the initial intake until the student's program graduation.

The S.A.Y. Vocational Program is funded through the NC Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Gang Prevention and Intervention Pilot Program).